Help Mon Run Again

Running is considered as a sport by many. Some do it to become healthier, several do it for fun, some run to increase awareness but for a few, running is a passion.I cannot fully relate to this, but I can only imagine the horror if the choice of continue doing something you really love is abruptly taken from you. Some of us take our freedom to do the things we enjoy for granted because we think we still have time. We set it aside because we are too focused in earning money and we forget how it is to live. We become complacent with our time and tend to forget the reality that the opportunity that we have right now might not be there tomorrow.

This is the lesson I learned from a friend’s experience. Edmund, Mon, Monching. He is the longest standing friend of my husband and one of the groomsmen in our wedding. They’ve known each other since they have been wearing shorts that put our daisy dukes to shame. Mon is one of the most high-spirited person I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet in my life. Being the only child, he had always been the breadwinner of the family. Nanay, as we fondly call his mother, is now 81 years old and used to be the most in demand hairdresser in their area in Bataan. Mon’s father passed away almost 5 years ago.

Regardless of the endless pressure in life, I’ve never, even once, have seen him without a smile in his face. He never loses hope, never let a hindrance put him down, until recently. May 2016, when we received a news that Monching is in a hospital in Bataan. He was involved in a hit and run accident. We found out that he was riding his bike on the road side when a car hit him and left him for dead in the middle of the road. It was lucky that someone saw the accident and helped bring him to the hospital.

Some friends decided to track down the perpetrator. They later found out that it was an underage driver without a license who decided to take out their family’s car for a spin. They initially denied everything but later on admitted to the crime. The parents promised to help with the medical expenses as long as they do not file a case against the minor. They helped initially, but the assistance later on stopped putting Mon and Nanay in a lot of financial burden. Mon’s left shin was broken. He had several operations during the year only to find out that those operations were not done correctly. Knowing that he will not be able to run and ride his bike in his condition, he decided to sell some of his treasured gears to help out with his accumulating expenses. Due to all these, he still is unable to report for work more than a year after the accident. Because of the recklessness of one person, in a split second, he lost his capability to work, run or ride his bike. Before this accident happened, he had been preparing to run another marathon and training to eventually become a triathlete. In a blink of an eye, all of his plans changed.

He would be undergoing his final operation this July. This will determine whether he will be able to run a marathon again. With this, we ask for your prayers for the success of his surgery and fast recovery. Moreover, we plead for your generosity to assist him in his operation bills. Hopefully this will enable to help him and Nanay get back on their feet.

We thank you in advance for any form of assistance that you can provide.

For any form of donations, you may reach us through our contact details below:

+63 906 559 1598 / +63 917 315 7681 / +63 926 618 8866